The Lace Reader

Written by Brunonia Barry

Narrated by Alyssa Bresnahan

In the tradition of The Thirteenth Tale, Brunonia Barry’s bewitching gothic novel, The Lace Reader, is a phenomenon. Called “[a] richly imagined saga of passion, suspense, and magic” by Time Magazine, it is a haunting and remarkable tale told by an unforgettable, if strangely unreliable narrator—a woman from an enigmatic Salem family who can foretell the future in patterns of lace. The Lace Reader was a runaway New York Times bestseller—hitting the top lists in major cities across the country, from Boston to Chicago to Los Angeles—and has immediately established debut author Brunonia Barry as a major force in contemporary American fiction.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperAudio
• Release date: Jul 29, 2008
• ISBN: 9780061702433

Brunonia Barry

Born and raised in Massachusetts, Brunonia Barry studied literature and creative writing at Green Mountain College in Vermont and at the University of New Hampshire. After nearly a decade in Hollywood, Barry returned to Massachusetts, where, along with her husband, she founded an innovative company that creates award-winning word, visual and logic puzzles. Happily married, Barry lives with her husband and her twelve-year old Golden Retriever named Byzantium

Reviews for The Lace Reader

[debbaworks · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I liked the story very much. I sorta want to give it 4.5 stars, but that's not an option. I think perhaps it went on a bit too long, and then had to tie up a lot of loose ends, rather quickly. But mostly, it was beautifully written, with a cast of appealing and believable characters. It had magic and realism and they mixed well together. Fans of Alice Hoffman will enjoy it.

[lyncos · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Lace Reader is an incredible, intelligent, exquisitely written book. Brunonia Barry has created a compelling story that, from the first page, immerses the reader in the world of Towner Whitney.The Lace Reader is as intricate as lace and the reader experiences the book through the interwoven patterns of the stories of Towner, Lyndley, Eva, May, Susan, Angela, the dogs of Yellow Dog Island, Rafferty, Cal, Jack and Beezer. Mystery, intrigue, abuse, love, romance, and history – all abound.As Towner explains, “Sometimes when you look back, you can point to a time when your world shifts and heads in another direction. In lace reading this is called the “still point.” Eva says it’s the point around which everything pivots and real patterns start to emerge.” The many threads of the story are masterfully woven together to illustrate the emerging patterns in the lives of the characters with an intensity that is unforgettable.Who cannot be intrigued by the concept of reading lace to see the future? And as Eva says to Towner, “It wasn’t the lace that was wrong, “ she always insisted. It was the reader’s interpretation that failed.” How powerful!Now, after reading this beautiful book, I see lace everywhere!

[devenish_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Lace Reader of the title is Towner Whitney,a member of an extremely odd family,who live in present-day Salem.She is a self-confessed 'crazy' who can read the minds of people through the medium of lace.Certainly this is a rather difficult concept for us to understand,but once we get into the book ,such is the power of the authors prose,we soon believe that this is indeed possible.Her mother May lives on a small island which is hard to gain access to.There she runs a community for abused women.There is also a group of modern-day witches,plus a hell-fire preacher and his disciples,all adding to the mix of growing tension.This is a unique novel and one which will captivate the reader.Do not be put off by the title,which can perhaps give a wrong impression to prospective readers.

[tibobi · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The story takes place in Salem, Massachusetts and centers around Towner Whitney, who has returned home due of her Great Aunt Eva's unexplained disappearance. Eva is the town's original Lace Reader. She makes lace and then reads the lace as a way of predicting the future. In addition to Eva, we have May, Towner's mother who lives on Yellow Dog Island. May lives with a group of women who have come to her in need and uses the island as a way to protect them. This includes Towner's Aunt Emma, who has been blinded by her husband and left with brain damage.There is also Ann, who is part of a different "circle" of women who practice love spells but her and her group are often mistaken for witches by the tourists in the area.Towner has issues of her own. She lives in the city, but has been battling her own demons in between bouts of mental illness and shock treatments. Her return home, and her "visions" concern the people around her because they know her history and what she has been through. She experiences gaps in memory, partly because of the treatment she has endured. She is also grieving over the suicide of her twin sister, Lindley which she has never quite recovered from.This story is rich with detail, but none of it seemed unnecessary or gratuitous. Sometimes when writing about characters that are part of the same family, there is a blurring of lines as to where one begins and another ends. I did not get that with this story. I felt that although many were indeed relatives, each character had its own identity and complexity. I wanted to know more about each of them and more importantly, I cared about what happened to them. As Towner tries to piece together what has happened to Eva, she comes to terms with much of what has plagued her and we see "hope".The Lace Reader is a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions. It's a mystery with a tad of historical fiction thrown in. I was completely absorbed by the story and although there is an expectation to suspend disbelief in a couple of places, I gladly did so without hesitation. I think this book would be a fantastic pick for book groups.

[essfair · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a great book about reality versus what people perceive—a little like James’ Turn of the Screw. It is also about an individual’s journey toward healing. The book is constructed a little like the lace that is its centerpiece--the story is built piece by piece, bit by bit. The story of Towner and her twin, and the secrets her family conceals are revealed a little at a time. This book is worth a second reading.

[candacevan_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed this book. Its Salem, New England setting, its whiff of the mystical that didn't go too far overboard, and its exploration about how we shape memory as much as it shapes us. I could quibble with the psychological underpinnings of our heroine's challenges. I could point out that while I'm no fan of fundamentalism, its portrayal as merely a refuge for criminals and those with character disorders seemed a bit over-the-top. Even though the twist at the end was not a real surprise to me, I enjoyed it anyway.

Barry's novel drew me in and held my interest. She told a good yarn that most female readers will find resonates with at least some aspects of their experience.

[lauriebrown54 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Our main narrator, Towner Whitney- real name Sophya- starts the book by telling us she’s a liar and to never trust her word. After a self-imposed exile, she has returned to Salem from the west coast because her aunt Eva is missing. She is just barely recovering from a hysterectomy, and not up to doing much. She doesn’t get much rest, though, as events go south rapidly. Eva turns up dead, the “Calvinists”- followers of Towner’s horrible father Calvin Boynton, who oppose the witches who have proliferated in Salem- are getting out of control, a teenaged girl who was involved with Boynton has been beaten by the Calvinists and vanished, and Towner is starting to get involved with Rafferty, the police man who was investigating Eva’s disappearance. A lot of the story is told via a journal/story Towner wrote while in a psychiatric institution after her twin sister’s suicide and in other flashbacks, as well as short spans from other POVs. Witchcraft is real, and the Whitney women have the ability to scry using the Ipswich lace which is made by the abused women of a safe house on an island- a historic craft revived by Towner’s mother. Towner can also read minds- mostly unwillingly. This is a hard book to review without giving away too much. There is a big twist at the ending. There are clues scattered throughout the story, things that at times I thought were things that were wrong but escaped the final editing. The mystery isn’t really about Eva’s death or the pregnant teenager disappearing, it’s about Towner’s past. I enjoyed the story and couldn’t put it down, but found it hard to follow with all the jumps from past to present. Having an unreliable narrator doesn’t help. I had to reread parts, especially the ending, to try and figure it all out. You really have to remember what’s been said earlier in the story to try and keep up. I thought the twist at the ending- which many reviewers have called reminiscent of ‘Sixth Sense’- was rather brilliant.

[keycat · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was a fantastic book.

[jensenyetta · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book was very appealing and interesting to me. I don't think it is great literature, but the characters were different, and the plot twists were not expected. I liked the new age atmosphere and the strong female characters. I am still wondering who May's husband/lover was.

[bons_11 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Lace Reader offers a unique suspense that you can feel building just out of your reach.Tanner leaves Salem for the West Coast but is brought back to her home and Yellow Dog Island by the death of someone so close to her. The only one that could bring her home, to save her.The Lace Reader was very enjoyable, describing a town I could visualize and an ending that I could not guess.

[lasperschlager · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was an interesting story. It took me awhile to read it and since it skipped between past and present, it was sometimes hard to keep up with what was going on but it did get wrapped up in the end. I felt like things were resolved by the end, rather than leaving you feeling curious about what happened or for what reasons. It was worthwhile to read but I can understand why some wouldn't really get into it.

[luvoldnew8 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Unique, hard to describe and one of the best I've read. Truly wonderful story -- inventive, creative, spelling-binding and oh so well-written.

[saltypepper_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Lace Reader is not Great Literature (thank god), but I did enjoy it very much. It's a little more thriller-y than my usual thing, however it's not exactly a thriller either. I did not see that *particular* big twist at the end coming though there were more minor plot twists I did anticipate, which was fine. I'd been through a string of unsatisfactory books recently and this ended it. In short, my reading palate has been satisfactorily cleansed by this book. It is not as sorbet-y as that metaphor might lead one to believe--it's got more gravitas than a sorbet--but it was certainly refreshing. I'd recommend it as a good summer beach read but with more heft than that might might ordinarily imply. It's not a potato chip read, more like pita chips and hummous. Snacky, tasty, but not unhealthy or empty calories.Now that I think about it, it kind of reminds me of The Time Traveler's Wife for reasons that I cannot quite pin down in my own mind. Partly it's that it is mainstream fiction with a little skid into the speculative/paranormal realm, not enough to scare the normals of course, just enough to make things more interesting. I am a sucker for a sympathetic but unreliable narrator, and Barry's book has that in spades. I predict good things for Ms. Barry if she can keep this up.

[paghababian_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Towner Whitney comes from an established Salem family - the men were traders and merchants and pirates. And the women? Psychics and readers - especially lace readers. Towner comes back to Salem after the disappearance of her great-aunt, Eva, who gave lace readings to locals and tourists alike in her tea room. Towner's mother, May, always an eccentric, takes in abused women and children and teaches them to make lace. But Towner herself has been avoiding lace since her twin sister committed suicide as a teen after a lace reading.The book is itself a piece of finely crafted lace - read it patiently and all of its secrets will appear in time. Keep in mind that Towner's first paragraph includes the line "Never believe me. I lie all the time." Bit by bit, the details behind Towner's past materialize, knitting a web of overlapping truths and lies, light and darkness, as she herself comes to terms with what has happened to her. Haunting and beautiful.

[maureencean · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This was a decent read. Granted, it was on my phone and I read it mostly when my husband wouldn't let me leave the light on to read in bed...There are some seriously heavy issues here, you can dive as deep as it suits you with them. There are a few bumpy spots, but the end is pretty interesting.

[citizenjoyce · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Brunonia Barry reminds me of Paula Sharp in the way she writes about an underground railroad for abused women, the difficulty in helping them and the evil of men who prey on them. Throw in a little Alice Hoffmanesque modern day witchcraft and you get a story you don't want to put down.

[wagner5sarah35 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book initially through me a bit with its constant transitions between the narrator's past and present, which reflected the character's history and memories, but made reading a little difficult at times. Still, this was an excellent story set in modern-day Salem, and the story featured plenty of magic! Fun reading overall - and I understand it's part of a series?!?!

[carolynschroeder · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This novel, which started amazingly well, is marred by a crazy, bizarre, Hollywood ending. It reminds me of how wonderful the Thirteenth Tale and Kite Runner were, only to be sabotaged by a "stick on" ending of weird conclusions and explanations that do not quite fit. It all attempts to tie up in the last 20 pages and is so ridiculous, I stare at the finished book and wonder how I'll get back that lost time! There is no question Ms. Barry is an engaging, skillful writer. The descriptions of life, people and the rich history of Salem (and near islands) is fascinating and unique. The conversations, nuances of human behavior (and things like alcohol abuse), are well done. While the main character, Towner, was rather annoying, the supporting cast shines. However, "Cal," the quintessential/formulaic abusive husband turn Armani wearing, born-again Calvinist was just too over the top to be even remotely believable. There might have been some interesting stuff here about survivors of childhood and marital domestic abuse, but it was lost in the exaggeration and SVU approach to the middle and end of the book. Although I enjoyed the first half, it was not enough to recommend it. What a dissapointment, considering all the accolades I've read.

[nycbookgirl · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I immensely enjoyed this book. I think I finished it in about two days. It is the perfect Summer or Autumn read in that it deals with family, friendship, mystery, love...the classic themes. The plot is just imaginative...dashed with a mystery, plot twists, and a bit of magic.Towner Whitney has come back to Salem, Massachusetts after being in self-imposed exile in California for many years. She comes back due to the disappearance of her Great Aunt Eva. The Whitney women are all lace readers....meaning they not only create lace but can "read" the future for people in the pieces as well. Towner does not do this anymore. --Remember that the setting is in Salem...town of the famous 1600's Witch Trials. The author notes that while there were no actual witches back during those infamous trials...today Salem has become a hub for witches.While Salem, the witches, and the lace reading all give the story a great magical backdrop...the real story is of Towner Whitney and her family. Towner Whitney has never been the same since her twin sister Lindley committed suicide when they were 17 years old. Towner went off the deep-end after it happened and is missing much of her memory. May, Towner's mother but not her sister's mother (confusing right?), has become a recluse in her island home and has dedicated her life to helping abused women. Other characters include Towner's Aunt Emma (Lindley's mom), her brother Beezer, her old flame Jack, Salem's Detective Rafferty, and Cal (estranged and abusive father of Lindley).I was quite confused at the beginning (and for a while after) about Towner's family tree. Who was who's mother, sister, aunt, brother...it all got convoluted. But that's the point...keep reading. What I loved was the author's depiction of Salem and the almost normality of the magical-ness of it all. And I loved going along with Towner's memories while her damaged mind tries to figure everything out. It was a great and unusual perspective.You might out-guess the twists and turns in the book, but that is ok. The book is about waiting for the characters to figure it all out.

[annar_729447 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Towner Whitney returns to her home town of Salem Massachusetts after many years away. She left after the death of her twin sister, Lyndley, and only the disapperance of her great-aunt Eva is able to lure her into returning home.When Eva's body washes ashore,Towner agrees to take care of the estate. In the process, she reinvolves herself with the rather eclectic members of her family.The Whitney women all have the ability to "read" lace. This is a kind of fortune-telling, where the reader "reads" the pattern in a piece of lace and interprets it. As Eva always said, "It's wasn't that the lace was wrong, it was the reader's interpretation that failed" when things didn't always work out as predicted.Eva ran a combination tea-shop and charm school. Towner's mother, May, is a crusader for abused women, which one might think would come in handy,since Eva's daughter, Emma,is married to the abusive Cal. Emma won't leave Cal, despite her family's concern. Cal himself has had a shady past. Currently, he runs a sort of boot camp for modern day "witches", or troubled teenagers. He's had a great deal of success, but his recent acitivities may land him back in prison. Towner herself becomes an unreliable narrator, as it is revealed that she has had mental problems, which may be returning.All in all, this is a nice easy summer read; ideal for the porch, the beach house,etc. It's really about the place of Salem Massachusetts,and the people that live there rather than a romance or an adventure story,although it contains elements of both. In that, it reminds me of the work of the late Phyllis Whitney. She wrote romantic suspense stories, (called gothic romances in their day) each in a different exotic location.She actually went to the various locations, researched the place and the locals and then wrote the story. The characters were always very modern, and there was a nonsteamy love story with a few hints at the supernatural. Brunonia Barry lives in Salem,and knows the location well. Her Salem comes through as the seaport town that "doesn't take itself too seriously,because it learned early on,way back in the 1600's what can happen when you do". A real page turner.

[lmteske · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I was frustrated by this book. I was swept in to the locale, but I wasn't sure I liked the characters or understood their motivations. I felt as though Barry was trying hard to mimic Anne Rice. Even though the narrator says at the beginning that she is a liar, the ending was ruinous - I had spent hours reading a story only to find that major chunks of the tale were not "true". It got me to thinking about fiction - none of the events or people are "real" but in the context of the novel, they are real. When the author ends the novel by telling you that huge portions of the narrative were the imaginings of one character, you are left to puzzle over what really happened. Why did I spend hours learning about what happens to these characters only to read at the end that some or most of it may not have happened? I liked the Thirteenth Tale - the twist at the end was fun and tied up loose ends. In the Lace Reader, the twist does the opposite - it frustrates the reader and opens up questions with no chance for resolution.

[reader1009-863136 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Adult fiction/mystery-drama. *Spoiler alert* This is one of those unreliable narrator type books, though it isn't apparent until the second half of the book or so.

[dukedukegoose · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

You know, usually, I see the twist coming, and I probably had some hints along the way I brushed off. But the ending of this book threw me for a LOOP.

[sbenne3 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This was just ok for me. I did find it interesting, but also slow and at times hard to follow (I lost track of some of the characters). I was just not a fan of this author's style.

[kalypso219 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This story is told by Towner Whitney, who has returned to her hometown of Salem, Massachusetts, after being gone for more than a decade. Towner has returned home after her aunt turns up missing. Towner comes from an interesting family, with the women in the family having the ability to "read" lace as other fortune tellers would read tarot cards or palms. Towner had vowed never to read lace again after the death of her sister, but that vow is tested when her aunt turns up dead. Salem, with it's colorful history, is a great setting for this story, which includes a group of modern day witches as well as a group of religious zealots. In addition to witchcraft and religion, the book contains many other themes including mental illness, violence against women and family drama. Salem is so well described in the book that I could easily picture myself there. The book started off a little slowly, but then picked up nicely. Overall, I found this a quick and enjoyable read.

[bookgranny · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A fascinationg, complex narrator, compelling characters, engrossing plot hightlighted by lace reading instructions, and a surprise/twist ending will leave you unable to stop reading oonce you begin The Lace Reader.

[smallwonder56_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I have a habit of rejecting books that everybody else seems to adore right off the bat. I've come late to several of my favorite books that way, so you'd think I'd learn. The Lace Reader is one of those books that I wish I'd tried sooner.Barry has created a world where wise women read people's futures in patterns of lace. While it sounds like some sort of Harry Potter world, it isn't. It is our world, with a predominance of intuitive and insightful women. (With enough truly stupid ones that you're certain you're still in the world of reality.) Towner, the main character, has lived a life full of emotional trauma, some real, some maybe not so real in a factual sense, but emotionally part of who she is.It's part mystery, part character study, and a fascinating experience. I loved the women in the book, and a good percentage of the men were, or turned out to be, good people, too.I wish I could read it again without knowing what would happen.

[ametralladoras · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

While reading this book I thought that the writing was really convoluted and often I would read something and stop thinking 'Wait, What??' I felt like there were chapters missing or something. After finishing the book, I understand what that was all about. There's a good twist in this book, I'll give it that much. The ending was good...but getting to the ending, holy balls, you have to get through 320 pages of depressing monotone characters. Reminded me a lot of Marilynne Robinson...more While reading this book I thought that the writing was really convoluted and often I would read something and stop thinking 'Wait, What??' I felt like there were chapters missing or something. After finishing the book, I understand what that was all about. There's a good twist in this book, I'll give it that much. The ending was good...but getting to the ending, holy balls, you have to get through 320 pages of depressing monotone characters. Reminded me a lot of Marilynne Robinson's Housekeeping...almost all females, crazyness, the general theme and presence of water...too bad the book isn't half as good as Housekeeping though.

[whybehave2002 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I'd like to read more of this author.

[amachiski · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

At first this book is a little slow but you gradually get pulled into story. This book is set in Salem which in itself is appealing to me because it has always held such history. Barry skillfully weaves hidden truths of sexual abuse, mental illness and supernatural occurrences into a well written story. Told from Towner's point of view, the story is a mix of dream and reality and it is frequently difficult to tell these apart. The story is enthralling and pulls you in gradually until you cannot rest until you find out what happens. Then out of nowhere you are surprised. At times I was confused and had to go back and reread sections of the book!